Some people grin hearing about leeches being applied in medicine but they should not. Today, we will tell you about production of cosmetics using leech saliva and leech extract. We are at International Medical Leech Center situated in the Moscow Region. It was founded in 1937. Now it successfully grows medical leeches in artificial conditions to produce cosmetics.

Saliva of medical leeches is a balanced complex of biologically active substances. In the photograph you see a leech model and tools to extract its saliva.

They hold the leech with their scissors-vise and suck in its saliva with a special device. The leech doesn't die after the procedure but it isn't happy about it either.

The work is 100% manual.

As for the advantages of the leech saliva, it improves blood microcirculation and supplies oxygen to the tissues, stimulates the local immune system, antioxidant activity, eliminates pigmentation disorder, protects the skin from environment, slows down aging, makes the skin more elastic and keeps moisture.